Cylinder lock



y 13, 1952 A. F. PASTOR ET AL 2,596,720

CYLINDER LOCK Filed Aug. 14, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET l IN V EN TOR-5.

ALDO FERRO PASTOR BY ANTON/0 JUAN MIR,

ATTOFNE 7f May 13, 1952 A. F. PASTOR ET AL ,7

CYLINDER LOCK Filed Aug. 14, 1950 2. SHEETSSHEET 2 IN VEN T 0R5. 144/70FERRO PASTOR. G/RALDO FER/80 P/IJI'OK. ENE/QUE JUAN MIR. ANTON/O JU/INMIR.

TTOE/VEY.

Patented May 13, 1952 TENT OFFICE CYLINDER LOCK Aldo Ferro Pastor,Giraldo Ferro Pastor, Enrique I Juan Mir, and Antonio Juan Mir, Habana,Cuba Application August 14, 1950, Serial No. 179,144

12 Claims.

Our invention relates to looks of the type having a key-receiving barrelrotatable inside a shell, the barrel being normally locked againstrotation by means of a set of tumbler pins which are radiallydisplaceable in aligned bores of the shell and the barrel and upon whichact respective spring-urged driver pins tending to displace the tumblerstoward the center of the barrel.

Locks of this description may be picked with relative ease by insertinginto the key slot of the barrel an instrument whereby pressure tendingto rotate the barrel may be exerted upon the latter, and bysimultaneously locatin the tumblers with the aid of a suitable tool (e.g. a wire) and displacing them radially outwardly until the boundaryline between tumbler and driver becomes flush with the periphery of thebarrel.

Various expedients have been proposed before for the purpose ofrendering such locks difiicult to pick, involving in most casessubstantial modifications of the fundamental structure such ,as theinsertion of sleeves, plates or the like. Other systems devised to thisend require a not inconsiderable weakening of the barrel through theprovision of slots, cutouts and so forth.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an improvedpickproof lock of the character described in which, however, thedrawbacks outlined above are substantially avoided.

Another object of the present invention is to provide locking meanswhich, upon substitution thereof for the conventional driver pins of anordinary lock of the character described, will serve to render the samepickpr-oof after a simple machining operation on the barrel.

The above and other objects of this invention will become apparent fromthe following description, reference being had to the accompanyindrawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through the shell and the barrel,showing the locking elements according to the invention in operativeposition;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the proper key insertedinto the barrel slot, thereby rendering the locking elementsinoperative;

Fig. 3. is a cross-section on the line 33 of Fig. 1; v

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but with the barrel displaced fromnormal position after a futile attempt to pick the lock;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the barrel removed from the lock;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing a modified form ofbarrel;

Fig. '7 is an enlarged view of a set of locking elements adapted toco-operate withthe barrel of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, showing a modified form of lockinelements according to the invention.

Referring first to Figs. 1 through 5 there is shown a cylindrical barrelhaving the usual key slot 9, the barrel being rotatably seated in ashell 6. Radial bores la in the shell 6 are normally aligned withsimilar bores 2a in the barrel 5 to iormchannels within which tumblerpins 2. and driver pins I are displaceable. Each driver pin terminatesat its end facing the associated tumbler pin in a point 4 ofreduceddiameter, this pin bearing upon a spacer or disk 3 whichseparates the. pins I 2 from each other and is of the same diameter asthese pins. It is important to note that. the disks 3 are connected withneither the driver pins I nor the tumbler pins 2. Springs l, lodged inthe bores. la, bear upon the drivers I in the well known manner, therebynormally causing these drivers partially to protrude into. the bores 2aof the barrel so as to lock the latter against rotation relative to theshell 6; this position is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3.

When the proper key 8 (Fig. 2) is introduced into the slot 9, thetumblers 2 are raised until the drivers I together with their points 4as well as the disks 3 are entirely received by the bores la, the upperedges of the tumblers being then flush with the periphery of the barrel5; this enables the barrel to be rotated freely inside the shell 6,permitting the release of the lock.

As best seen in Fig. 5-, each of the bores 2a of the barrel 5 is flankedby two relatively shallow recesses or grooves l8 extending over alimited arc of the periphery of the barrel, the depth of these recessesor grooves increasing toward their extremities remote from the bore 2a.These extremities form sharp steps or abutments l I. best seen in Figs.3 and 4, adapted to come to rest against the points 4 of the pins I ifthe corresponding tumblers were raised only to the position shown inFig. 4 (with the top of disk 3,

rather than of pin 2, flush with the periphery oi the barrel). If,therefore, an intruder tries to pick the lock in the manner previouslydescribed, the barrel 5 will start to yield, and rotate, as soon as thetop of a disk 3 lies flush with its periphery. The maximum angle ofrotation, which will be reached after all the tumbler pins 2 have beenpicked in this manner, is fixed by the abutments H and will beinsufficient to retract the latch (not shown) controlled by the look. Itwill be understood that the grooves III, while being wide enough to bepenetrated by the points 4, must have a width less than the diameter ofbore 2a so that the disks 3 will be unable to enter them after insertionof' the key 8 has enabled an authorized person to displace the barrel 5from its normal position.

Fig. 6 shows a modified barrel 5 whereon the grooves have been replacedby a pair of longitudinal recesses or grooves l0 extending on both sidesof therow of bores 2a, the points 4 of the pins l dropping into one orthe other of these grooves when the barrel is rotated after an attemptto pick the look. In this caseit will be preferable to replace the disks3 with balls 3', as shown in Fig. '7, these balls by virtue of theirlarger diameter (equaling that of the pins) pass ing readily over thegrooves l0 when the lock is released in the proper manner. Balls 3' may,of

course, also be used with a barrel of the type shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 shows the driver pin I of the preceding figures replaced by aplurality of larger balls I (two in this case) bearing upon a smallerball 4', the latter taking the place of point 4. In this case it will benecessary to make the depth of grooves Ill, or l0, slightly greater thanthe radius of the smaller ball 4 (to prevent dislod ment thereof by camaction)" but less than the diameter of this ball. so that the latterwill effectively block rotation of the barrel when the lock is tamperedwith. It will also be understood that with this arrangement care must betaken to have pref rablv iust a little more than the lower half of aball I project into the channel 2a in the normal position of thetumblers 2, i. e. when the latter occupy the position shown in Fig. 1.for the purpose of efiectivelv locking the barrel in place when the keyis withdrawn. It should be noted, ho ever, t at the sma l ball 4'. orsome similar independent intermediate element of reduced diameter. maybe used in coniunction with driv pin I in lieu of the inte ral po nt 4thereof.

The invention is not limited to the specific forms thereof shown anddescribed. which have been given merely by way of illustration. but ison the contrary capa le of numerous ada tations and mod ficationswithout encee ing the sco e of the a ended claims. Thus it w ll beunderstood,

for example. that a single set of recesses ID or a single groove ID willsuflice if some other means are rovided to permit rotation of the barrelin one direction only.

We claim:

1. A look comprising a shell, a cylindrical barrel rotatable in saidshell, said barrel havin a longitudinal slot adapted to receive a key, aset of radial bores in said barrel communicating with said slot, a setof rad al bores in said shell, the bores of said two sets being alignedin a predetermined angular position of said barrel and. forming a set ofchannels of constant diameter, an elongated tumbler element in the partof each channel adjacent said slot, spring means in the part of eachchannel remote from said slot, and locking means in each channelpositioned between said tumbler element and said spring means and urgedby said spring means toward said slot, each of said locking meansincluding a driver element nearest said spring means, a spacer elementnearest said tumbler element, said driver element and said spacerelement fittin closely inside said channel, and an intermediate elementof reduced section between said driver element and said spacer element,said spacer element being independent of said tumbler element and ofsaid intermediate and driver elements, said barrel being provided withrecesses angularly dis placed from the bores thereof and adapted toreceive said intermediate elements, said recesses limiting rotation ofsaid barrel relative to said shell by co-operation with saidintermediate elements upon partial displacement of said tumbler elementsagainst the action of said spring means by introduction into said slotof an instrument other than a mating key, said spacer elements beinglarge enough to pass over said recesses without substantial hindrancupon rotation of said barrel following insertion of the proper key.

2. A lock according to claim 1 wherein said recesses extendcircumferentially on either side of the bores of said barrel.

3. A lock according to claim 2 wherein said recesses gradually deepenwith increasing distance from the bores of said barrel.

4. A look according to claim 1 wherein said spacer member is a disk.

5. A lock according to claim 1 wherein said spacer member is a ball.

6. A lock according to claim 1 wherein said intermediate element is aball having a diameter greater and a radius less than the depth of saidrecesses at a point remotest from the bores 01 said barrel.

7. A lock according to claim 6 wherein said ball is independent of saiddriver element.

8. A look according to claim 7 wherein said driver element comprises aball of larger diame ter than said intermediate element.

9. A look according to claim 1 wherein said intermediate element isindependent of said driver element, the length of said intermediateelement being greater than the depth of said recesses at a pointremotest from the bores of said barrel.

10. In a lock comprising a shell and a cylindrical barrel in said shell,said barrel having a longitudinal slot adapted to receive a key andfurther having a first radial bore communicating with said slot, saidshell having a second radial bore of the same diameter as said firstbore and aligned therewith in a predetermined angular position of saidbarrel, thereby forming a continuous channel therewith, the combination,with a tumbler pin in the part of said channel adjacent said slot, oflocking means in the part of said channel remote from said slot andspring mean urging said locking means into contact with said tumbler pinand the latter toward said slot, said locking means including a driverelement nearest said spring means, a spacer element nearest said tumblerpin, said driver element and said spacer element fitting closely insidesaid channel, and an intermediate element of reduced section betweensaid driver element and said spacer element, said spacer element be ingindependent of said tumbler pin and of said intermediate and driverelements, said barrel being recessed adjacent said first bore, therebyforming an abutment angularly displaced from said first bore and adaptedto limit rotation of said barrel relative to said shell by engagement ofsaid intermediate element upon a relatively short displacement of saidtumbler pin against the action of said spring means, said spacer elementbeing large enough to pass over said recess without substantialhindrance upon a relatively large displacement of said tumbler pinsufiicient to position the outer end of the latter flush with theperiphery of said barrel.

11. A lock according to-claim 10 wherein said REFERENCES CITED recessextends circumferentially of said barrel and gradually deepens onpassing from said first The following references are of record in thebore toward said abutment.

file of this patent: i

12. A lock according to claim 10 wherein said 5 intermediate element isindependent of said UNITED STATES PATENTS driver element, the length ofsaid intermediate Number Name Date element being greater than the depthof said 563,867 Moser July 14, 1896 recess adjacent said abutment.2,051,772 Turrell -1 Aug. 18, 1936 ALDO FERRO PASTOR. 10 2,111,098 SegalMar. 15, 1938 GIRALDO FERRO PASTOR. 2,111,515 Rauh Mar. 15, 1938 ENRIQUEJUAN MIR. 2,158,501 Gutman May 16, 1939 ANTONIO JUAN MIR. 2,202,329,Braune May 28, 1940

